Hello fellow readers this be your not-so-humble Book Club Fuhrer. This is to be a 'sticky' for discussion of issues impacting the E'ville Jedi Book Club. Here we will post topics regarding SW novels, comics, and role-playing materials. Also feel free to post about non-SW novels, comics, and role-playing materials.

This is from [link=http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/ref/news20071005.html]www.starwars.com[/link]

First Look:The Essential Atlas
October 05, 2007

Fly from one side of the galaxy to the other and see everything in between with the next installment of the revamped Essential Guides to Star Wars from Del Rey Books. This is so much more than a revisit to the first edition Essential Guide to Planets and Moons. Authors and Star Wars astrogators Jason Fry and Daniel Wallace have meticulously researched the Star Wars universe of movies, books, comics and more to create an unparalleled resource for Star Wars travelers.
Inside Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, learn about the structure of the galaxy, the astronomical and geopolitical divisions and distinction that frame this far-away setting. Sections devoted to specific regions in the galaxy include the Deep Core, the Colonies, Hutt Space, the Outer Rim and more. An alphabetical collection of planetary profiles details over 70 worlds, while the historical atlases chart the expansion of galactic exploration, conquest and conflict from the earliest campaigns of Xim the Despot, to the rise of Palpatine's Galactic Empire, to the brutal invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong to the latest conflict between Corellia and Coruscant. An expansive Appendix lists the galaxy's star systems with notes about sector and regional placement for easy reference.

Star Wars: The Essential Atlas is due out in June 2008 from Del Rey Books.

For those patiently awaiting the SW hardcover novel titled Death Star we now have officially have six days to wait. For those patiently awaiting Republic Commando - True Colours we have at least three weeks more. For those patiently awaiting LOTF-Fury we have an even more intolerable amount of time to bite at our nails in anticipation (insert Rocky Horror Picture Show joke here - now).

Well truth be told I think Death Star is a really a 'filler'. We're between LOTF novels and less than two weeks from Republic Commando - True Colours. I ordered Death Star from Wal-Mart, but have decided to return it. The novel looks interesting, but I'm cutting my spending by at least $30. I now collect only the following titles -

1. Legacy Of The Force novels

2. Legacy comics

3. Battlestar Galactica comics

Death Star is a speciality topic novel set in the time frame just prior to A New Hope. A chance to retcon the various 'official' EU sources. I've thumbed through Death Star and it seems to have shades of Casablanca and All's Quiet On The Western Front in the mix. I'll wait and see if the library will have the audio-book.

1) Finished Death Star. Good, but not great.
2) Reading The Last Days of Krypton - Reason I am proud to be a sci-fi geek. Great in spades!
3) William Shatners latest novel of Young Kirk meeting young Spock. I will finish it but can say that, for me, it is Rubish.

Here's my little idea about the books I am reading now.
1) Finished Death Star. Good, but not great.

I'm in the middle of Death Star and so far kinda agree with you.

I'm also reading the "relaunch" of the Star Trek TNG novels post-Nemesis: I finished the first two and will start the 3rd after I finish Death Star.

Their not bad for Trek novels. It's nice that the Trek novels are all set in one continuity now like the SW novels. Events in one book have repercussion or are at least referred to in other books of the other trek series. The stories are still kind of hit-or-miss though, but I guess that's true across the board for any series (see the SW Bugsl** trilogy or Blackfleet Crisis.)

^^I agree. The 2008 Trek novels are mostly going to be post-Nemesis with an emphasis on the reconstruction after the Dominion War. They are going to leave the 23rd century alone for JJ Abrams and his group to explore.

I had to stop reading Shatner's novel. I hate to be negative. However, for me personally the novel was so terrible 1/3rd of the way through that I decided to focus all my reading on The Last Days of Krypton.

All the Republic Commando lovers get ready to party!!! Next summer we are getting the last RC book in hardcover and it is a hellz yeah title, "Republic Commando: Order 66".

I like Death Star so far because I get to read more about Tarkin. I am also reading...and it pains to say so...the Shatner Collsion Course novel. Since I have only read a couple of the Peter David books and no concept about continuity in the Trekverse outside of the order the shows and movies go, I like the book as just a fun read. It is fun reading Shatner write about what made James Tiberius Kirk, James Tiberius Kirk. Considering they shafted him and are only having Nemoy in the movie, more power to him!

As many here now know the novelization of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is written by James Rollins. Not James Luceno as some of the less informed once thought. I'd be the last person to name names on that particular count ( Hoosiertrooper ). My question is have any of you read any novels by James Rollins? If so what they be like?

As many here now know the novelization of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is written by James Rollins. Not James Luceno as some of the less informed once thought. I'd be the last person to name names on that particular count ( Hoosiertrooper ).

Hey I just report what I'm told.

Still no Darth Maul force bubble on the horizon either...

I'm more excited about The Complete Making of Indiana Jones. I liked the Star Wars making of by Rinzler, so I hope this one will be as good... and as concise. The Star Wars making-of covered everything, and I could only get my hands on the "short" edition.

I finished Death Star. It was good, but it glossed over some stuff about construction delays too much. It enjoy the cut scenes about what was happening elsewhere on the DS during the prison break of Leia and the Battle of Yavin. I dig Motti even more now!!!

Did I missread something, or did the novel not mention the destruction of Despayre?

********************SPOILERS***************************************************Yeah you missed it. It was in there.

I finished the book too.

It was just okay. Not a great read, not a bad read. Really, it felt like a filler novel between "event" novels, or a fluff novel like the latest Zahn book (whatever it was called).

My biggest beef with it was all the stuff that took me "out" of the story. The throwaway mention someone named "Teh Roxxors", which is computergamers speak for saying someone "rocks": "54r4h is teh r0xx0rz" (Sarah is "the roxxors", she rocks!)
And someone else was described as a Luddite. Was there a Ned Ludd in the GFFA?
There were couple of others, but I forgot to take notes (again).

I did like the change in feelings of many of the people once they saw the destruction of Despayre and realized what the DS, and the Empire, was capable of - and then again more fully when Alderan was destroyed - and teh Alderanian troopers sitting in the bar afterwards - nice scene.

I also liked that all the seemingly disparate storylines came together in the end.
*****************************END SPOILERS************************************************